Video Reminder
by Xasonnex
Summary: When Ranma discovers an unexpected link to his recent past, he finds himself thinking.
1. Default Chapter

Ranma 1/2: Video Reminder  
(OK, titles aren't my strong point)  
  
Written by: Xason Nexus (Xasonnex)  
  
Disclaimer: Ranma ain't mine. Akane ain't mine. Ukyou ain't mine   
(much as I wish she were). Get the picture? Oh, OK, I don't own the   
Ranma Universe, and I am not making any profit. PLEASE don't sue me   
Takahashi-sama, Vid, Kitty, or anyone else.  
  
Though I like the manga better, an element in this fic is derived from   
the anime series, so I guess this story takes place after the end of the   
anime series. Eh, can't win 'em all. Enjoy!  
  
***********************************************************************  
Chapter 1  
  
The day started in typical fashion for Ranma. He was rudely   
awakened by his father for morning sparring. Breakfast was a battle   
with the "panda". The trip to school was filled with banter between   
him and his "fiance", as well as a near concussion because of a bicycle   
owned by Shampoo. Same old, same old. It was when Ranma got home   
after school that things got interesting.  
  
"Yo! I'm home!" He yelled, entering the Tendo dwelling.   
Ranma casually tossed his schoolbag aside and immediately headed towards   
the kitchen. Before he could reach his destination, he almost bumped   
into Kasumi. "Oh, hey Kasumi, what's up?"  
"Oh, hello Ranma. How was school today?" the eldest Tendo   
sister asked. She was holding a basket of clean laundry in her hands.  
"It was OK. Akane won't be home for a while, she went home   
with some friends to work on a report. Say, where is everybody?"  
"Our fathers are out with Happosai, and Nabiki is in her room.   
Ranma, would you mind taking up your father's laundry and putting it   
away? I've already taken yours up." She presented him with the   
basket.  
"Um, yea, sure," he said as he took the large pile of clothes   
out of the basket. "No problem."  
Kasumi smiled. "Thank you, Ranma. This will help me get my   
chores done a few minutes earlier. Now, be sure to put them away, not   
just lay them on his dresser, OK?"  
"OK, I will," Ranma replied as he turned towards the steps.   
"Stupid Pop," he grumbled to himself. "He can't have possibly gotten   
this many clothes dirty in a week. Unless he's sparring with me, he's   
just lying around the house doing nothing!"   
As he entered the room that he and his father shared, he   
realized that he'd never put his father's clothes away before.   
"Hmph, he probably hasn't either. Kasumi does all the work around   
here," the pig tailed one thought. Before long, he'd put all the   
clothes away and was about to leave for the dojo, when he realized   
there was a drawer he hadn't had to open. Curiosity got the better of   
him, and he opened the drawer.  
It was a junk drawer, filled with stuff that wasn't really   
interesting to Ranma. Pictures, a few small weapons, an old wallet,   
other stuff like that. But there was also an unmarked video tape, and   
that caught Ranma's eye. Ranma took it out and looked it over. "Hmm,   
I wonder what's on it?"  
  
As the tape went to snow, Ranma sat dumbstruck. He'd taken the   
video down to the main living area and watched it, not knowing what to   
expect. What he'd gotten had surprised him. He picked up the VCR   
remote, rewound the tape, and watched it again. On the tape, there he   
was, along with Akane, kneeling on the dojo floor. The fact that there   
was a bandage across his nose reminded him that this was just after his   
first fight with Mikado Sanzenin. Akane had come in to patch him up,   
but their conversation had strayed for it's usual format.  
It was odd for Ranma, watching how he and Akane had interacted   
that day. Even from the distance his father had been filming the   
incident, Ranma could make out facial expressions, and was surprised   
when he saw his own. "Man," he thought, "if I didn't know any better,   
I'd think I actually wanted to kiss Akane!" He narrowed his eyes,   
trying to make out more. "Heck, it even looked like Akane wanted to be   
kissed! That can't be right!" Ranma was lost in thought, so he didn't   
notice when his heart began to beat a little bit harder and faster.   
The tape ended again, and Ranma rewound it again. He pushed play, and   
this time he got closer to the TV. and turned up the volume, so he   
could hear the dialogue better.  
  
"You left yourself wide-open, Ranma!" Ranma remembered this   
line very well now. He'd taken offense then, but looking back he saw   
that Akane had been right.   
"Yea, I'd taken offense because I HAD left myself wide open.   
She'd been right. I, I just couldn't admit it," he thought to himself,  
He rejoined the video in progress. It was after he'd denied trying to   
kiss Akane that the next line came out that stuck in his mind.  
"I know you don't have the guts to do something like that   
anyway." That line still hurt, mostly because it was true. Next line   
that mattered, "I dare you to do it, if you think you can." The final   
line that got to him has spoken by him, not Akane. "If you don't mind,   
then I don't mind." When the tape ended this time, Ranma took it out,   
went upstairs, and put it back in Genma's drawer.  
  
It was the end of a beautiful day. the sun was setting, and   
there were only a few clouds in the sky. Ranma could see it all so   
well from the Tendo's roof, but it was wasted on him. His thoughts   
went back to the incidents in the video.  
"I know you don't have the guts to do something like that   
anyway," Akane had challenged. "She was right," Ranma realized.   
"Up to that point I wouldn't have tried. I haven't really tried since,   
but that was the best opportunity I think we ever had. Wait, WHAT AM I   
THINKING?!?! So I didn't kiss the tomboy, big deal. It's not like I   
really wanted to or nothin', why do I feel like it was a missed   
opportunity? What's wrong with me?"  
"I dare you to do it, if you think you can." "That's it!" he   
thought, "She dared me and I never went through with it. That's what   
it is, it's unfinished business. I'd have done it, but since we were   
being watched I didn't. After all, if I had, we'd be married by now.   
If no one had shown up, I'd have kissed her, and it would have meant   
nothing. I didn't want to, but I'd have done it. I never back down   
from a challenge."  
"If you don't mind, then I don't mind." Ranma's heart was   
working overtime as he remembered this line. He drew his knees up to   
his chest and tried to remember his thoughts that day. "Of course I   
didn't mind if we kissed, why should I have? It wouldn't have meant   
anything. A kiss don't mean anything." A long ignored voice in his   
head, fueled by the increased blood flow in his body, chose to make   
itself known then. So why did you care so much when Mikado tried to   
kiss her? "Because she's MY fiancé!" his heart replied faster than his   
ego could stop it. This triggered a related memory. A line, a single   
sentence he'd proclaimed to Mikado.  
"Akane is MY fiancé! You touch her and I'll kill you!"   
Ranma's eyes went wide as he remembered this. He'd been able to   
suppress that memory so long because so much else had happened that day,  
but he couldn't repress it this time. "Did I really say that?" he   
wondered. "More importantly, did I mean that?" Ranma thought long and   
hard before he heard the call for dinner and decided to join them. As   
he went to stand, he wondered why his legs were so weak.  
  
Dinner went as usual, except Genma, Soun, and Happosai were   
still out, so Ranma didn't have to inhale his food. In fact, he   
probably wouldn't have anyway, the gears in his head were still turning.  
Akane had come home only a few minutes earlier, and also seemed   
preoccupied with thoughts, though Ranma guessed they were related to   
her report. Still it helped him, since Akane didn't seem to catch the   
quick glances he kept giving her throughout the meal. If Kasumi or   
Nabiki thought Ranma was acting weird, they didn't say anything. Ranma,  
despite his slower than usual eating speed, finished first. Rather   
than going upstairs to continue his thoughts, he opted to go to the   
dojo.  
  
Ranma sat cross-legged in the center of the dojo, perfectly   
still. He'd combined his thinking with meditation, and was treating   
his thoughts as importantly as battle strategies. Something had to be   
done, he realized, or he'd never be able to think straight. He opened   
his eyes as he came to a decision. He got up, turned toward the Tendo   
shrine, and kneeled. He clasped his hands together, and began speaking   
softly. "Mrs. Tendo, I know you never met me or anything, but there's   
something I gotta do with your daughter tonight. If ya don't want me   
to, I'll understand, but........ But it ya don't mind, I'd appreciate   
it if we weren't disturbed. Please, it'd mean a lot to me."  
  
Akane stretched her arms out to the side as she made her way   
to the dojo for her exercise for the day. After dinner, she'd changed   
into her yellow gi, after waiting for her dinner to settle enough that   
it wouldn't bother her. "Dinner," she thought. "Dinner was interesting   
tonight. I wonder why Ranma kept looking over at me. And why didn't   
he insult me?" She frowned, "Something isn't right with him today.   
Any day that baka doesn't insult me during a meal, he's up to   
something" As she entered the dojo, she was lost in thought. She   
closed the door and almost jumped when she turned around and noticed   
Ranma in the center of the dojo, looking straight at her with unmoving   
eyes. "Ranma!"  
  
"Ranma!" Her voiced prompted him to think. "It's now or   
never," he thought. He momentarily thought about standing up to greet   
her, but that uneasy feeling had returned to his legs. Taking a deep   
breath, he remained sitting, mustred up his confidence and spoke. "Hey   
Akane. Look, I don't wanna intrude on your time or anything, but   
there's something I'd kinda like to talk to you about. Would you   
mind?" he asked, gesturing to the floor space in front of him.  
"Um," Akane replied a bit hesitantly, "Sure Ranma." She made   
her way to him. "Well, I guess I'll find out what's going on soon enough.  
Still, what could Ranma possibly want to talk to me about?" She took   
her seat on the floor, kneeling in front of her fiance. She noticed he   
was kneeling too. She also noticed him take a deep breath before he   
began talking.  
"Akane, do you remember what happened the day I, uh, got kissed   
by Mikado?"  
Akane thought for a moment before responding. "Yes. As I   
recall it happened because you left yourself wide open." "What's   
bringing this on?" she wondered.  
"Yea, uh, so you said when we got home. In this dojo, in fact.   
You remember what happened after you said that?"  
Akane didn't have to think hard to remember, but she had to put   
a little effort into keeping her voice steady for some reason. "Yes."  
There was some silence before Ranma continued. "Akane, have   
you ever known me to back down from a challenge?"  
"Never." Akane was surprised how easy that came out.  
Ranma started shaking his head. "Then either you're lying, or   
you don't remember everything that happened that night."  
"What? Are you calling me a liar?!"  
Ranma was quick to raise his hands in defense. "No, no, I'm   
not. I guess you forgot exactly what happened, just like I did."  
"What?"  
"Remember how we got interrupted by everyone watching? Well,   
Pops was recording the whole thing. I found the tape today and watched   
it. Want another shot at remembering exactly what happened?"  
"We, uh, almost kissed. Is that it?" Akane's heart was   
beating faster than normal. She wondered if Ranma's was as well.  
"Do you remember WHY we almost kissed?"  
".......Mm mmmm" Akane shook her head "no".  
"You dared me to." Ranma looked for a reaction on Akane's   
face, and was pleasantly surprised to see her blush at the revelation.   
Ranma closed his eyes and rubbed his face before continuing. "You   
dared me, and I accepted the challenge. But I never did it." Ranma   
stopped there, as, for some reason, he almost lost his breath.  
"Ranma," Akane began. She had to catch her breath before   
continuing. "Why, why are you bringing this up?"  
Ranma had to steel himself before responding, not only had his   
legs gotten weak, but now he was having trouble sitting upright. "I'm   
bringing it up because after I watched the tape, it's all I could think   
of. I wondered why I didn't just kiss you, if it wouldn't have really   
meant anything."  
Akane felt a little angry at the implication that kissing her   
wouldn't have meant anything, but for some reason her anger couldn't   
surface. After close to a minute of silence, she asked, "And did you   
figure it out?"  
The few seconds it took for him to respond felt like an   
eternity for both of them. "I think so, but I can't be sure. Look,   
Akane, I know it's several months late, but would you mind if I finally   
went through with it?"  
"What!?"  
"Would you mind if I kissed you right now?" he asked.  
Akane looked into his steely gray eyes. They were both   
unsteady and unwavering at the same time. He was scared to ask her,   
but he wasn't going to leave without an answer. "Ranma....."  
  
A mere block away from the Tendo dojo, Ryoga Hibiki was trying   
to decide which way to go at an intersection. When he chose the wrong   
direction, he wondered why he felt so right in going that way.   
Nabiki had just decided things were getting too quiet around   
the house, and was about to investigate, when the phone rang. She   
answered, finding that one of her friends had called on a whim.  
Happosai was leading his students out of the bar. "Time to go   
home fellas!" It was then that Happy spied a lovely young lady walking   
in the opposite direction of the path that would take them home. "On   
second thought...."  
  
The wait was excruciating for Ranma. "Akane," he began, but   
couldn't finish.  
"Ranma, I......" She couldn't say it! A lump had formed in   
her throat, and she couldn't speak to save her life. She brought   
herself to shake her head "no".  
"Is that a 'no, don't kiss me,'" Ranma gulped before he could   
continue. "Or a 'no, I don't mind'?" Akane whispered something Ranma   
couldn't understand. "What?"  
"The second." Akane almost fainted. Did she really say that?  
"OK, if you really don't mind," Ranma crawled forward, closing   
the short space between them.   
"I don't," she barley whispered. She looked into his eyes, then   
closed hers.  
"I'm, I'm gonna do it," he said softly, their faces inches   
apart.  
She could feel his breath. "Go ahead....."  
"If, uh, you're gonna stop me now's the ti*.." He couldn't   
finish as Akane placed her hand on the side of his face. His breathing   
increased as his face flushed. Then, gathering every ounce of courage   
he had, he leaned forward, and their lips met.  
Akane gasped as her lips met with Ranma's. "I don't believe   
we're doing this."  
Ranma noticed that Akane's lips were very slightly cooler than   
his own. That, however, was the last thing he noticed as his brain   
shut down, and instinct took over. He put everything he had into the   
kiss, snaking his arms around Akane's waist, placing his hands on her   
lower and upper center back and pulling her tight. A sigh escaped his   
lips as he stopped for a breath, and then he continued.  
Akane felt Ranma sigh before resuming their kiss, and couldn't   
take it. She decided that either they had to stop, or they were going   
to make this the moment it was meant to be. She embraced him and   
upped the ante.  
Ranma was surprised when he felt the tip of Akane's tongue   
lightly caressing his lips from between hers. "She's challenging me,"   
he thought, "and I never back down from a challenge." With that, he   
responded in kind. Two and a half minutes later, they finally broke   
the embrace. There was silence for some time, both had withdrawn back   
into each other.  
"So," Ranma started.  
"Yea," Akane echoed. More silence. "So, are you sure you   
figured it out now Ranma?"  
Ranma let out a sigh, closing his eyes. "Yea."  
"And?" Akane didn't know how her body could be so excited, but   
feel so weak.  
Ranma gathered all of his physical strength as he stood. "And   
if you really want to know, I dare you come up to the roof in five   
minutes, and tell me exactly how you feel about me." With that, he   
left the dojo. And as soon as he closed the door behind him, he   
collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily. "I can't believe I finally   
did it," he thought as he turned his attention skyward. "Now to gather   
enough strength to get to the roof...."  
"Ranma...." was all Akane could say as he closed the door   
behind him. She had some fast thinking to do. "And then, somehow, I   
have to get up," she thought, which was going to be difficult,   
considering her knees were Jell-O.  
  
End Chapter 1  
  
Authors notes: AAAAAaaarrrrrggghhhh!!!!!! I didn't plan on this being   
a cliffhanger! It just happened, honest! Well here it is, the first   
fic I'm ever posting. Why this one? Because discovering   
Fanfiction.net got my creative juices flowing like never before, so I   
thought I'd write a story meant to be posted on it. Please, I don't   
ask for kindness, just review this and give me a straight response.   
Please. BTW, this is an anime story because in the manga, Genma   
didn't have the camcorder, and in this fic, that made all the   
difference.  



	2. Chapter 2

Ranma 1/2: Video Reminder  
(OK, titles aren't my strong point)  
  
Written by: Xason Nexus (Xasonnex)  
  
Disclaimer: Ranma ain't mine. Akane ain't mine. Ukyou ain't mine   
(much as I wish she were). Get the picture? Oh, OK, I don't own the   
Ranma Universe, and I am not making any profit. PLEASE don't sue me   
Takahashi-sama, Vid, Kitty, or anyone else.  
  
Though I like the manga better, an element in this fic is derived from   
the anime series, so I guess this story takes place after the end of the   
anime series. Eh, can't win 'em all. Enjoy!  
  
***********************************************************************  
Chapter 2  
  
"Whoa!" Ranma yelped as his footing nearly gave way. He   
glanced down past the edge of the Tendo residence roof, then carefully   
made his way to the peak. "Man," he thought, "I haven't almost slipped   
like that in a while! What's wrong with me?" He sat down, allowing   
himself to think. "Ain't nothin' wrong with me," he realized. He   
thought back to mere minutes ago, to the reason he didn't have all of   
his coordination.  
"That kiss, man, that was something. I can't believe we did   
it." He thought back to the moment he had just shared with his fiance,   
a kiss that was a lifetime of months in the making. His first kiss.   
Sure, he'd BEEN kissed before, but he'd never kissed back. He'd also   
never initiated the kisses. "And, somehow, none of Ukyou or Shampoo's   
kisses have made me weak in the knees. I should have known it'd be the  
tomboy that took my strength, she's knocked me for a loop often enough   
by hitting me, why not emotionally too?" Still, this time, there was   
no pain involved only pleasure.... He chuckled to himself as he   
muttered, "Should have known it'd be Akane."  
  
Said fiance was reveling in the moment a bit differently.   
"Ki-ya!" She yelled, knife hand chopping a couple of concrete blocks.   
When only one broke, she hardly noticed. "That, that JERK!" Akane   
slumped back into a sitting position. "How could he do this to me?"   
she asked to nobody in particular. "First he kisses me, then he leaves   
me and heads off to the roof! And he thinks that just because we   
kissed, that I'm going to just go up there and spill my guts out to   
him!" She sighed, and thought to herself, "no, he expects me to go up   
there because he dared me to, and he just followed through on a similar   
dare." She reached up absently to her lips, that were still tingling   
from the kiss. Her tongue didn't quite feel normal either. "But he   
took months to finally come through with his, and he gives me a time   
limit?!"   
"HA! That jerk, I'm gonna go up there and give him a piece   
of my mind!" She yelled, drawing on anger to give her strength to make   
the short trek. She almost didn't realize that she was doing exactly   
what she needed to do, go up and talk (though at the moment she thought   
the conversation was going to be one-sided). She didn't realize that   
the hand that had failed to chop through a second concrete block was   
getting red.  
  
Tatewaki Kuno didn't know exactly why, but the hairs on his   
neck suddenly stood on end. Setting down the new poem he was working   
on, he drew his arms across his chest and began contemplating.   
"Whatever could have sparked the sixth sense in I, the great Tatewaki   
Kuno?" he thought. After utilizing the deepest thought he was capable   
of, ten seconds later (what, you thought it would be longer?) he came   
to a decision, and his bokken was in hand a split second later.   
"Something must have happened to either the Pig-tailed Girl or Akane   
Tendo!" he exclaimed as he ran out of the Kuno estate. "And I,   
Tatewaki Kuno, the Blazing Sun of Furinkin High, cannot allow it!" He   
ran blindly down the streets towards the Tendo dojo, a fury in his   
self-ritchous eyes. He ran fast and hard, turned a corner, and ran   
directly into a quickly outstretching fist.  
Ryoga Hibiki didn't know where he was. This was a constant   
frame of mind for him, but sometimes he needed a release. "Where the   
heck am I?!?" He yelled to the sky, thrusting his fists out to the   
sides. When he felt a "Thump" on one of them, he looked over to see a   
now unconscious Kuno sprawled on the ground. "Stupid," he muttered, "why   
couldn't the idiot have watched where he was going?"  
  
"Ranma!" Akane yelled as she swung up onto the roof. She   
looked around, saw him, and started heading in his direction. "What is   
going on with you?! How dare you put me on the spot like that?" She   
was standing in front of him now. "You realize how long it took you to   
finally act on that dare? And you put a time limit on mine?! You, you.  
.." Akane balled up her fists and almost sent Ranma into lower Earth   
orbit, when she saw his face was now the same it was when they started   
talking earlier. She halted just long enough for him to speak.  
"You knock me away now, and you don't get your answers." He   
said flatly. He saw the fire go out in her eyes as her arms fell to   
her sides. "So," he began. "You come up here to get answers? You   
know what I want." Ranma was relieved he got her to calm down, in his   
present shape, the landing from one of Akane's punches would have hurt   
a lot more than usual. He tried to focus on getting his body to stop   
feeling so unsteady and he waited for her reply.  
"Why?" she asked as she sat down next to him. "Why do you want   
to know now? It's not fair holding something like this over my head.   
I mean," she dropped her head as she talked, "what do you want to know   
so much?"  
Ranma took a deep breath. "I wanna know exactly what I asked,   
how you feel about me. I know it's kinda sudden and all, but I need to   
know."  
"...... Ranma...I can't.. I don't know how I feel about you.   
Maybe if you'd asked me before we.... kissed, I could have given you   
an answer. But now," the next part he could barley hear, "I don't   
know anything."  
Ranma felt bad, his fiancé was slumpped over and speaking   
softly. He knew he was asking a lot out of her, but he'd realized   
today that the things you put off till tomorrow can be put off til the  
tomorrow that's always in front of you. Those things you had to get   
out of the way now, because you may not get a second chance to do them  
right. "Akane, it's OK," he spoke softly to her, placing his hand on   
her back, "until today, I didn't know how I felt about you."  
Akane looked up at this, wide-eyed. "Ranma? What do you.."   
she was cut off by his hand.  
"Akane, why do you always get jealous whenever another girl   
glomps onto me?"  
"I do not get jealous!" The fire was back. Normally Ranma   
would yell back. Normally he'd add fuel to the fire until it exploded.   
This time, he kept his cool and hoped it would cool her down.  
"Akane, it's just you and me now. If you want the truth from   
me, you're going to have to give it yourself. I won't open my.....   
heart to someone who's still closing theirs." He saw the surprised   
look on her face that bade him to continue. He did, hoping that his   
blush wasn't too red. "You do get jealous. You don't do it when you   
see Kuno, or Ryoga glomp another girl, and you don't do it when you   
see a guy glomp my girl form. It's something you only do when I'm the   
guy, and you aren't the girl."  
She turned her head and quietly digested this. So he'd seen   
her pattern. "Wait a minute, what pattern?" she thought. I don't act   
any different for him than I do for...."  
"Don't go trying to deny it, 'Kane. I tried to do the same   
thing. It hurt more than helped." He took his hand off her back and   
leaned forward, trying to see her face and he spoke. "If ya still   
can't figure it out, then how about telling my why you are so   
determined to cook food for me, when you know you can't... I mean,   
still have a lot to learn, even though you're getting better?" He was   
still there, so she must be thinking, he realized. Usually he'd be in   
a world of hurt by now with the cooking comment.  
Akane was thinking so much her head was about to hurt. Why DID   
she do those things? There wasn't a sound between them for several   
minutes.  
  
The busted pipes in the Nekohanten's kitchen forced Cologne, a   
duck and a cat to share the second floor of the building as they   
awaited the plumber's arrival. Odd that it had happened at this time   
of night, keeping Shampoo and Mousse in cursed forms unless they left   
the building, which meant getting wet. And Cologne had warned Shampoo   
not to go out, she'd seen Happosai especially drunk a few minutes   
earlier, chased by a crowd of angry girls and his own two students. A   
drunk Happosai was not something someone risked when they had a human   
body like Shampoo's.  
  
Ranma could see the confusion on Akane's face as she thought.   
"This must be how I looked a few hours ago," he thought. "She looks   
like she's about got it. There's gotta be something I can remind her   
of to push her into finally realizing, one way or another." He didn't   
have to think back long. "Akane," he began, "I kissed you because of a   
dare you gave me. So why did you take over after I started it?"  
Akane couldn't take it, clear thoughts or not, she had to   
respond to that. "Because I'd wanted to kiss you that day and felt   
cheated when it never happened! I mean, I, uh,.." "Why did I say   
that?" she asked herself. "Did I really want to.... back then?   
Before?" As soon as she asked herself, she finally knew the answer.   
The hard part was going to be saying it.  
"How do you really feel about me, Akane?" Ranma asked one last   
time. "Man, if she ain't answering this time, she ain't gonna," he   
thought.  
Akane took a deep breath, made sure her purchase on the roof   
was secure, then answered. "Ranma, I see you as an egotistical,   
overbearing jerk, who can hardly keep his mouth shut, has three fiances,  
a freeloading father, and a curse that makes life a living heck for him   
and and everyone him!" She saw Ranma's eyes flinch a little as he   
looked down. "You insult my looks, my cooking, and just about   
everthing else that's related to me! The only reason I don't hate your   
guts is because sometimes, you ARE in the right, and when I really need   
you, you are there. Other than that, I see no good qualities about you   
at all!" "Except that you are extremely handsome," she thought. She  
hated doing this to him, but he asked for it. Her eyes started   
watering as she saw his dejected look, and he began to get up.   
"Oof.." he huffed as Akane tackled him back down to a sitting   
position. He missed her look of desperation in her eyes, as she   
continued to hold him around her waist. He was too lost in his own   
grief. "Akane really don't like me...." he thought.  
"Don't leave now you jerk, I'm not done!"   
Ranma closed his eyes. "Great there's more. Least now I   
might be able to pull off a good Shi Shi Hokodan...."  
"Ranma, that's how I see you. SEE you. And that's why it's so   
hard, so hard for me when I realize that I Lo, Lov..."  
Ranma opened his eyes with a start. Was she saying what he   
thought she was saying? He looked down to her, to see her head buried   
in his chest as she was trying to get out those last elusive words. He   
put an arm around her back, and one hand through her hair behind her   
head. Akane looked up, and he noticed that there were tears in her   
eyes. "Akane," he whispered.  
She looked him dead in the eyes. "Ranma, I love you. I don't   
know why, but I love you so much!" With that, her resolve disappeared   
and she burst out crying into his chest. He could hear her soft voice,  
saying "I love you so much," over and over, like each time could be   
the last she could say it. He wasn't surprised to find his eyes   
watering as well.  
"Shh... Shhh... It's OK Akane," he said softly as he rested   
his forehead on top of Akane's head, still buried in his chest. They   
set a new record for them, staying in each other's arms for no less   
than fifteen minutes before Ranma finally broke the silence. "So," he   
whispered, "You still want to know why I didn't kiss you before?"   
He lifted up his head.  
She followed suit, looking up into his eyes. They both noted   
that the other had been crying both had red, puffy eyes. Akane gave   
a slight smile as she nodded.  
Ranma smiled back. He took a breath and looked to the sky.   
"It wasn't clear until I saw myself on that tape," he replied. "Seeing   
myself from the outside made me realize just how much I HAD wanted to   
kiss you that day. And that's why I couldn't." He looked down to see   
the confusion on her face. "You see, a kiss under those circumstances   
would have been meaningless. I didn't know how you felt about me, and   
I really didn't know how I felt about you. But I did know that when we   
did kiss, I wanted it to really mean something. I didn't want to kiss   
you to prove a point, show you that you couldn't challange me to do   
something I couldn't. If I were to kiss you, I wanted it to be for the   
right reasons."  
"But you just kissed me less than an hour ago for the same   
reason." Akane's voice was unsteady, but she had to say something.  
"Naw, the reason wasn't the same. This time, I did it so that   
I could make absolutely sure how I felt about you. It's the one thing   
I couldn't be sure of, until now."  
Akane moved back a little, to see his face better. "And now?"  
Ranma raised his hand and caressed her cheek. "Now I know," he   
slowly brought her face to his, "that I could never love anyone else   
more than I love you. I love your shortcomings as much as I love your   
strengths." Their faces were less than an inch apart. "I love all of   
you, my uncute tomboy of a fiance."  
"Ranmumph..." Ranma interrupted Akane before she could object   
to his playful jabs with a kiss. It didn't take long for her to   
respond the same way she had before. Ranma drew her further towards   
him and sat her on his lap. As they embraced, the night wind played   
lightly with their hair, the soft moonlight only accenting their   
features more, when they took the time to look. It didn't happen   
often.  
  
"Saotome?"  
"Yes Tendo?"  
"You just feel something?"  
"Only joy at the fact that this angry mob," Genma motioned to a   
crowd that included the entire Nerima Wrecking Crew except Ranma and   
Akane, including the Amazons and close to a hundred angry women, "has   
banded together under a single cause!" That single cause was taking an   
incredibly drunk and beaten Happosai, placing him in three increasingly   
larger steel safes, and dumping him into the sea. They were standing   
by the docks, about to accomplish said feat.  
"Indeed, Saotome. This could lead to be a great day for all of   
us! It is too bad Akane and Ranma aren't here to see this!"  
"Right, Soun, my friend, they wouldn't want to miss this for   
the world!"  
  
"I wouldn't miss this for anything in the world," Akane   
murmured into Ranma's neck. The two had moved their activity into   
Akane's room due to a cooling night air. They hadn't done anything   
beyond kissing, and a little bit of talking about things they'd never   
talked about before.  
"Mmmm." Ranma didn't know what happened to all of his strength,   
all he knew is that his body didn't want to move away from Akane. He   
did know that if he could, he'd stay there forever. But since he   
couldn't, he was going to make the most of it, every second they had   
together tonight. He noticed something in the soft lighting. "What   
happened to your hand?"  
"Hm? Oh, I got kinda mad at you after you left me in the dojo.   
Unfortunately, I found out when my heart isn't in something, I can't do   
it right. I couldn't focus enough to break a brick."  
Ranma took her hand and kissed the slightly injured part. "You   
sure are a violent one, tomboy."  
Akane narrowed her eyes, yet smiled as she spoke. "And do you   
mind that?"  
"I told you," Ranma replied as he drew her closer, "I love   
every part of you. Even your violent tendencies."  
"I'll ask you again in the morning, when I'll have to hit you   
for making us late for school," she quipped.  
"What makes you think we're gonna be late?" Ranma followed   
Akane's eyes to a clock that read 2:17 am. "Oh." Ranma perked as he   
heard sounds from the outside. He broke the embrace with Akane and   
slowly stood up. He went over to her window where he saw their   
fathers, bruised and battered, following a still drunk, but above water   
Happosai. "Well, looks like it's time for me to head to my room. They   
find out we were together, we'd be married before we knew it."  
"Would it be so bad?" Akane asked, standing behind her fiance.  
"Us married? No. Us married on their terms?" He gave her a   
quick peck on the cheek. "I'd rather do things our way."  
"This is going to take some getting used to."  
"See you in the morning, or at least when we wake up."  
"Goodnight baka."  
"Goodnight, uncute fiance." With that, Ranma made the short   
trip out of Akane's room and into his own. Before falling asleep, he   
looked up at the ceiling. "Thanks, future Mother in Law."  
  
End, chapter 2  
  
Authors notes: Well. Thanks for the great responses to Chapter 1, I   
hope Chapter 2 lived up to it. I hope you people realize that this is   
the most I've ever written in a 24 hour period before. I don't know   
how other people do it! If you'd like, I can continue this series, but   
it will be a while. I have an idea or two... Let me know what you   
think!  



	3. 

Ranma 1/2: Video Reminder  
(I guess it's here to stay!)  
  
Written by: Xason Nexus (Xasonnex)  
  
Disclaimer: Ranma ain't mine. Akane ain't mine. Ukyou ain't mine   
(much as I wish she were). Get the picture? Oh, OK, I don't own the   
Ranma Universe, and I am not making any profit. PLEASE don't sue me   
Takahashi-sama, Viz, Kitty, or anyone else.  
  
Though I like the manga better, an element in this fic is derived from   
the anime series, so I guess this story takes place after the end of the   
anime series. Eh, can't win 'em all. Enjoy!  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Chapter 3  
  
It was a beautiful morning in the Nerima district. The birds   
flew free, the air was crisp, and there was hardly a cloud in the sky.   
People went about their daily routines like the day was like any other.   
Everyone, except two teenagers running towards Furinkin High school.   
Something had happened the night before that had changed their lives,   
and today the reprecussions would begin. Such an important day, and   
they had slept in.  
  
Ranma hadn't had so much trouble staying balenced on a fence in   
years. His body had all the coordination it needed, but his mind was   
not on the same wavelegnth. Every time he looked down at his fiance   
Akane, he almost stumbled. "I can't believe what we did last night,"   
he thought. "Our first kiss. First several, actually." As he thought   
this, he almost fell into a canal, and thought it best to either stop   
thinking about the previous night, or get off the fence. He choose the   
latter.  
Akane had a smile on her face the moment she woke up, and it   
hadn't left since. She'd done her best to disguise it during breakfast,  
but it got harder and harder with the glances she and Ranma had been   
giving each other, so she started talking about a report she'd worked   
on yesterday, and claimed she was so happy that she knew she was   
getting an "A". When she and Ranma set off for school, though, the   
disguise fell. The smile grew as she felt her fiance's presence next   
to her.  
"Hey," she asked, "what are you doing down here? Don't you   
like feeling higher than everybody else?" she jabbed.  
"That ain't nice. And for your information, I just felt like   
staying male for awhile, that's all," Ranma responded. "Darn she's   
cute this morning," he thought, sneaking a glance at her smile.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Ah, nothing." They ran a while before Ranma pressed forward   
with conversation. "So, uh, get any good sleep in?"  
"What little I got. Honestly Ranma, did you have to stay in my   
room so late last night?"  
"Hey, as I recall, you didn't seem to mind." Ranma glanced   
over and saw her blush. "Say, I thought you said you were going to hit   
me if we slept in."  
Akane's smile got a little devious as she raised her bookbag to   
a ready position. "I was going to let it slide, but if you really   
want it..."  
"Hey, just 'cause I'm in love don't mean I'm stupid." Ranma   
jumped back onto the fence. "Let a violent tomboy like you hit me?   
Nah, I got better things to do*....." Ranma was interrupted as he was   
run over by a bicycle with a purple haired rider.  
Shampoo glanced behind her, just realizing she'd run over her   
"airen". "Aiya, Ranma!" she cried, jumping off her bike.  
Akane's smile finally left as she saw Ranma fall to the ground.   
"Shampoo," she thought, "I knew this was going too good to last."  
Shampoo helped Ranma pick himself up. "Shampoo so sorry, Ranma.   
I no mean to knock you off fence. I know! Let Shampoo make it up to   
you by taking you out on date!" With that, the buxom Amazon glomped   
onto Ranma.  
"Oof," Ranma gasped as he felt Shampoo's arms nearly squeeze   
the life out of him. He glanced over at Akane, who was now approaching   
them. "Uh oh," he thought. "I better try to get out of this as fast   
as I can." Trying to pry her arms from around his neck, he replied to   
Shampoo. "Uh, no thanks Shampoo, that's ok. Look, I got school, so   
why don't..."  
"No worry about school, go on date with Shampoo!" The Amazon   
paid no mind to Ranma's attempts to dislodge her, and she didn't notice   
Akane approach her, until Akane pinched her arm and pulled Ranma from   
her grip (by his pig tail, of course).  
"Ouch! What violent girl do that for?"  
Akane was glowing (with chi). "Look Shampoo, we don't have   
time for this. Flirt with him some other time. Come on Cassonova,"   
Akane took off, dragging Ranma behind her.  
Shampoo looked puzzled. "Akane always such a violent girl.   
She no make sense." With that, the amazon reclaimed her bike and   
resumed her morning route.  
  
Several hours later, in the Tendo Dojo, we find that the school   
day didn't go perfectly either. Ranma is still in his normal clothes,   
wearing a light green sleeveless Chinese shirt, while Akane had changed   
into her gi. They were arguing like usual, only they both knew that   
after the previous nights events, this fight would have a greater   
effect on their relationship than normal. Akane was going though a   
series of power moves, while Ranma sat on the floor. Akane was also  
yelling.  
"First Shampoo, then Ukyou! Did you have to let her feed you   
that okonomiyaki by hand?!"  
"Hey, I was hungary! And I was doing homework, so my hands   
were busy!"  
"You're unbelieveable!" Akane stopped her excercises to stare   
down Ranma. "You're always hungary, and that homework was due   
yesterday!"  
"So I had to do it as soon as possible!" Ranma stood up.   
"Jeeze Akane, what's eating you? You don't normally go this ballistic   
when this stuff happens."  
"Why do you think, you..." Akane was cut off by Ranma's hand   
covering her mouth. Her temper was flaring, and was about to nail   
Ranma, when she noticed the look in his eyes as he wispered.  
"Look, try to keep it down if you're gonna act different than   
normal. You weren't acting too different yet, but I don't want our Dads   
to think anythings changed between us." He removed his hand.  
Akane nodded, then responded softly. "Right. Though I think   
they're nursing too big a hangover to notice much besides the fact that   
our voices are raised." Finishing that comment, Akane gave a slight   
grin. She almost blushed when she saw Ranma grin and nod as well.   
  
Ryoga was a happy wandering martial artist. "The gods must be   
smiling down on me for sure," he thought, "for them to lead me here to   
the Tendo Dojo only three days after I last saw it!" He was, indeed,   
standing in front of the Tendo residence, right outside the gate. "Oh,   
Akane, how every day without you is torture for me, and to finally be   
here once again to be in your presence, I must be blessed!" The   
"blessed" one was then squirted with a water pistol by a couple of   
little kids playing in the street. The litte black piglet that   
remained had only one thing to say about that. Yep, you guessed it.  
"Bwee!"  
  
"Say, Ranma," Akane was standing with her back to her fiance   
as she spoke, as she still felt uncomfortable about what she was asking   
and didn't want her blush to be seen.  
"Hm?" Ranma had just started doing a handstand, pushed himself   
up, and adopted a sitting position facing Akane.  
Akane spoke softer. "After last night, since now you know how   
I feel about you, I was wondering why, I mean, I want to know why you,"   
Akane had difficulty getting the question out and closed her eyes.   
Emotions gathered, she yelled, "Why do you always let Shampoo glomp you   
EVERY MORNING? IT'S ANNOYING!"  
"Aaah! Not so loud!"  
"Huh?" Akane opened her eyes to see that Ranma had gotten up   
and was standing right in front of her. Apparently, just in time to   
get an earful from her. He wasn't the only one who heard, as voices   
resounded from the house.  
"Akane, Ranma, keep it down! Some of us have headaches!"   
came Soun's voice.  
"Bwa warf ba bwa rar rarf" Genma's sign was thrown in through   
an unrepaired hole from one fight or another. "Son, apologize to Akane   
so I can sleep!"  
"Can't you two keep it down? I'm on the phone!" Nabiki added.  
Kasumi didn't yell a reply, she just sighed while working on   
dinner.  
  
As he heard Akane's voice P-chan/Ryoga thought, "Ranma! For   
makeing Akane unhappy you will pay!" This, however, also came out as   
"Bwee." Ryoga then promptly ran into a closet.  
  
"Sorry!" Came both Ranma and Akane's replies.  
Ranma turned his attention to Akane. "I don't LET her do it.   
And it's not EVERY morning."  
Akane "humph"ed and looked away. "OK, I'll give you that. But   
why didn't you push her off this morning? Or just about every time she   
does it?"  
"Akane," Ranma spoke softly and put his hand on her shoulder.   
His heart rate increased as he did so. "It's a little hard to just   
explain. I tell you what, YOU glomp onto me just like Shampoo did this   
morning."  
Akane turned back to face him, a question on her face. "Why?"   
she asked.  
"Just, ah," Ranma blinked as he tried to keep his face from   
flushing, "just do it. Please?" Ranma's irregular heartbeat skipped.   
"Did I just ask her to.." he thought.  
The battle to stop from blushing was lost by Akane. "Uh, OK,"   
she replied as she tried to rember exactly how Shampoo had acted that   
morning. Despite what had happened the night before, exploring   
physical contact with Ranma was still new to her, so she took some time.  
Hesitantly, she stood on her tiptoes and snaked her arms around his neck,   
pulling herself close to him. She still felt uncomfortable as she   
pressed her chest against his. "Is, uh, this about right?"  
"Uh, she had me tighter than that," Ranma replied after a few   
awkward seconds. He could feel a big sweatdrop on the back of his head.  
Akane tightened her grip. "Now? Mph*.." She was cut off by a   
short kiss to her lips.  
Ranma had to catch his breath before he replied. "In my   
defense, ever see me do THAT to Shampoo, or Ukyou?"  
"Jerk." Akane freed one of her hands just long enough to rap   
him on the back of the head. "You're just taking advantage of this   
situation," she joked, a little too loud.  
  
"What?!!" Ryoga thought to himself as he could just make out   
Akane's last line. "Ranma is taking advantage of Akane? I'll send him   
to Hell myself!" The pig was just outside the dojo. "As soon as I   
find the door. How many sides does this thing have, anyway?"  
  
"Sorry," Ranma gulped, "couldn't help myself. Yea, this is   
about right," he said, referring to Akane's glomp.  
"And?"  
"Well, I don't push Shampoo off because I can't."  
"Yea right, you're only one of the strongest men in Japan."  
"Well, yea," Ranma's ego swelled momentarily. "But what I'm   
talkin' about is this." Ranma placed both hands on Akane's shoulders   
and started squeezing and pushing. "I can't push her off like this   
without hurting her. I mean, she puts a lot into these things, I'd have   
to use a lot of power to get out, and she'd only let go once it started   
hurting." He took his hands off Akane's shoulders.  
"So far, you make sense," Akane narrowed her eyes a little as   
she spoke. Her shoulders tingled a little, she knew Ranma had barley   
put any effort into dislodging her, but his point came across.  
"And if I do this," Ranma placed his hands on her hips and   
started pushing, "she'll keep her grip on my neck and all I'm doing is   
lifting her feet off the ground, and I know that aint what you want to   
see." To illustrate his point, Ranma did just that. With Akane   
maintaining her grip, the scene did look pretty romantic.  
Akane's heart was going the extra mile. Ranma was lifting her   
off the ground, but she was still hugging him, and likeing it! Still,   
this was a bit new. "Point made. You can, uh, put me down now." He   
did.  
"And we all know she won't listen to me when I tell her to get   
off, so there's only two things for me to do. I could just ride it out   
and wait for you to break us up, or..." Ranma placed his hands between   
their chests, "I could push her off like this, but that would look even   
worse..." He cut himself off as he realized what he was doing. They   
both stood still, Akane still embracing, Ranma's hands on her brests.   
  
As fate would have it, P-chan found his way to the door just in   
time to see this. Ryoga was too shocked to even "bwee."  
  
Akane stood in shock. So many things were running through her   
head: her love for Ranma, understanding why all this made sense, the   
fact that his hands were where they shouldn't be, ect. She wanted to   
act like she finally understood, but mental defense mechanisms are hard   
to break. In a split second, without realizing what she was doing, she   
malleted Ranma faster than ever before and yelled, "Fiance or not, you   
DO NOT touch me THERE without my permission!!!!"   
  
Ryoga ran like never before towards the bathroom. "Ranma, even   
for you that is going TOO FAR!!!" He thought. He saw the open   
bathroom door. "I will make you pay!! Nobody does that to Akane!   
NOBODY!!!"  
  
"It hurts...." Ranma mumbled from under the king sized mallet.  
Akane regained her senses. "Ranma! Oh, I'm sorry..." She   
lifted the mallet and disposed of it, then helped Ranma up. "I'm sorry,  
Ranma, I just, just, acted. I didn't mean..."  
"'S OK, Akane." Ranma placed a hand on her shoulder, giving   
her chest a wide berth on the way up. "I deserved that. I'm the one   
that should be sorry, I just wanted you to know."  
"I know, and I understand now. It makes perfect sense. I   
don't know why I didn't see it before..."  
"Ah, you were too bust being the jealous, uncute, tomboy fiance   
I know so well."  
Akane balled up a fist. "Keep it up, Romeo..."  
Ranma waved her off with both hands. "OK, OK, sorry." He put   
one hand behind his head and tried to lighten the mood by laughing a   
little. "Well now you know."  
Akane couldn't help but giggle. "Yea, that's one mystery   
explained. Now, how about.."   
  
Akane didn't get to finish, as Ryoga made his grand entrance to   
the Tendo Dojo. "Ranma Saotome! I saw what just happened! How dare   
you do such a thing to Akane? I'd thought you to be better," Ryoga   
started stepping inside. "I thought you had SOME decency. But now I   
know!" Ryoga stood three feet from the couple. "You have no honor,   
Ranma Saotome, no honor AT ALL! Today I make you pay for all your   
crimes!!!"  
  
This outburst brought about another group of responses from the   
house, but this time all the same. "Keep it down in there!"  
  
Akane replied, "Ryoga, it's OK. He didn't mean to, and he   
apologized. I apologized too, it's just as much my fault as it was   
his." Akane clasped her hands together in front of her. "Please don't   
get mad, it was all a misunderstanding."  
"Oh Akane," the bandana clad boy replied, "so innocent. Such a   
kind, sweet, forgiveing person." Ryoga closed his eyes and turned his   
head to his side. "It is one of your most admirable qualities. But   
also, one of your weaknesses." He returned his head to stare at Ranma   
as he spoke. "For this man deserves no pity! How he convinced you   
that this was your fault at all I don't know, but all the blame is his!   
He did something that no one should ever do." Ryoga reduced his voice   
to a growl (which was good, so no one in the house heard what came   
next). "He violated you Akane. He violated your privacy and trust.   
No man should do those things, at least no man with honor."  
Ranma snapped. It was bad enough a private moment was   
interrupted. It was bad enough that Ryoga was insulting him, and   
calling him honorless. But the fact that HE was telling Ranma about   
what wasn't decent about violating Akane's privacy... "Hey, shut up!   
This don't concern you at all, it's a private matter! And who are you   
to call me honorless, after what you've done around here?!"  
"Ranma, it's OK," Akane tried to soothe her fiance, "Ryoga's   
just being a friend to me. You'd do the same thing if you saw him, or   
anyone else, invading my privacy."  
"I already have, but it ain't made a difference," Ranma   
growled a reply, staring Ryoga right in the eyes as he did. "Not with   
him."  
Akane had a puzzled look on her face. "What are you.."  
"Shut up, Saotome!" Ryoga yelled. "You try to change the   
subject, like the coward you are! First you did what you did, then try   
to shift blame! You have no honor!"  
Ranma was boiling, but at the same time thinking. He simmered   
for a while, then an idea struck him. Before he could think it all the   
way out, he put a plan into motion. "I have no honor?" he asked in a   
strained voice.  
"No honor at all." Ryoga sneered as he replied.  
"None whatsoever?"  
"None."  
"Ranma," Akane turned to fully face her fiance.  
Ranma placed a hand on Akane's shoulder, but looked into   
Ryoga's eyes as he spoke. "Ryoga. You say I have no honor. But if   
you do, and you value it, you will do something. You will stand right   
here," Ranma pointed to the floor with his other hand, "while I go get   
something. If you really are a man, you will."  
"Ha! Running away, coward?"  
"Will you stay?!" Ranma forcefully inquired.  
Ryoga looked at Ranma, then Akane, and back to Ranma. "Fine.   
Unlike you, I do have honor, and I will stand by it."  
"Good, be right back." With that, Ranma broke into a sprint   
into the house. Ryoga and Akane stood in silence and listened to the   
sounds in the house. Ranma ran up stairs, had a conversation of some   
sort with Nabiki, ran back downstairs, and made some sort of clattering   
noise as he seemed to gather objects. When Ranma returned, he was   
carrying the Tendo entertainment center, TV and all. He moved to a   
corner of the dojo that had an electrical outlet and started plugging   
things in.  
Akane was the first to speak, while Ryoga continued sneering.   
"Ranma, what are you doing?"  
Ranma responded without looking up. "Akane, yesterday I   
realized that I felt the way I do about you because I saw myself on a   
videotape. That tape didn't lie. Now it's time to see if that's true   
of all home videos." With that, Ranma turned and pulled out a tape   
from inside his shirt.  
Ryoga sounded quite disrespectful. "A video? What do you plan   
on showing us, you womanizing your other fiances?"  
"Ranma.." Akane didn't know what was going on.  
"I plan on showing Akane what kind of person you really are."   
Ranma held out the tape long enough for the label to be read.   
"Ranma VS Kodachi at St Hebereke" it was written, in Nabiki's   
handwriting.  
  
  
Authors notes: AAaaaarrrrggghhhhh!!!..... again. This was supposed to   
be chapter three, and it is, but only about half of what I planned.   
It's getting too long as is, so Chapter 4 becomes what WAS to be the   
rest of Chapter 3, and the original Chapter 4 becomes Chapter 5.   
Sorry for such a bad ending point, but I had to do it. Also, Thanks a   
LOT for the great responses to chapter 2! Sorry I kind of had to move   
away from the romance aspect in this one, but I had too. Romance, or   
any other mood, doesn't last forever in Ranma 1/2. Let me know what   
you think of this chapter, and I'll try to hurry with Chapter 4! 


	4. Chapter 4

Ranma 1/2: Video Reminder

Chapter 4

By Xasonnex

Disclaimer: Look people, if these characters were mine I'd be telling my stories somewhere besides a free site. As it is, they are creations of Rumiko Takahashi and I am only borrowing them.

* * *

Dinner at the Tendo Dojo was unnaturally quiet. It wasn't because of lack of people, in fact there was even one more person than usual. It wasn't because the eldest Tendo and eldest Saotome were still hungover. It was quiet because Kasumi's announcement that dinner was ready had interrupted what would have been a startling revelation in the dojo.

Over in the corner sat the Tendo family entertainment center, which had just recently been in the dojo. Next to middle Tendo daughter Nabiki sat a videotape. And occupying the extra cushion around the dinner table was Ryoga Hibiki, who didn't know for sure how afraid to be of said tape.

Normally Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo would be bickering, but now Ranma was lost in thought and Akane wanted to know why. "What was all that about?" she thought. "When Ryoga saw that videotape you'd think he saw a ghost. But he wasn't even there when Ranma fought Kodachi. Why was he so afraid?" She glanced at her fiancée, Ranma. "And what was Ranma talking about? He's hiding something."

"Man," Ranma thought, "I'm glad Kasumi interrupted. If what I think is on the tape is on the tape, Akane probably would have killed Ryoga. I want her to know about him being 'P-chan', but I don't want him murdered. She's gonna want to know what all that was about, so how do I put it to her?"

Ryoga kept wisely quiet. "There's something going on between Ranma and Akane. What is it? And what made Ranma stop from showing that video?"

Nabiki was also devoting more attention to thought than food. "Ranma asked for that specific tape and didn't even ask how much I was going to charge. There must be something big on it. If I find out what it is then more money is sure to come my way."

Kasumi was unfazed by the introspective mood of the room and broke the silence. "So Ryoga, when did you get back in town?"

Ryoga turned to face her. "Oh, well I think it was sometime this morning, actually. I'm not entirely sure." He was glad to break the akward silence.

For the first time since the dinner interruption, Ranma looked Akane in the eye, but only for a moment. As soon as he noticed that she'd noticed his attention, he averted his eyes to his food. "Dang," he thought, "she deserves to know the truth, and it ain't like I haven't tried to tell her before. OK, maybe I haven't tried very HARD before, but I've given her plenty of clues. Ah well, when she does find out she's gonna want to know who else knew about him. Lets see, there's Pop and Mr. Tendo, Cologne, Mousse..."

"Damn it Ranma, don't keep secrets from me," Akane thought. "Not now that we know we love each other. What the heck made you so mad?" She tried her best not to look like something was bothering her .

Genma Saotome spoke up in between bites of food. "Ranma, I've decided munch munch that we are going gulp on a little training trip this weekend. You do chomp have school off for a munch couple days, right?"

Ranma splashed his father with some water from his dinner glass. "Don't talk with yer mouth full Pop, it's disgusting. But yea, sound good to me."

As an angry panda decided to pick a fight with his son, Mr. Tendo added, "Akane, why don't you go along and cook for them? You could make them your instant ramen!"

Before Akane could respond, Genma-panda held up a sign in front of Soun. "No no no no! Bad idea!" it read.

Before Akane could respond to that, Ranma bopped his father on the head. "Aw shaddup Pop! She's getting better you know. Oh, wait, you don't know, do you 'Mr. Panda'? Anyway..."

"That's right..." Akane finally got in before being interrupted by an elated Soun.

"That's it Ranma! Come to your fiancée's aid! You DO want her along, don't you?"

Akane turned to face Ranma. "Well Saotome," she thought, "how are you going to respond to that?"

Ranma DID want Akane to come along, but didn't want their parents to know that. "H-hey! I ain't sayin' that. She'd just be, uh, getting in our way. I'm just sayin' she isn't as bad as she used to be at cookin'. That's all!"

As Ryoga watched the drama unfold, he breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm off the hook," he thought. "Not that I'm all that happy. Akane will probably be spending the weekend with Ranma..."

Little did Ryoga know, he was not off the hook. As she finished her dinner, Nabiki eyed the tape sitting next to her. "As soon as dinner is over, little tape, I will learn your secrets," she thought. "There's money to be made from you, I can smell it."

* * *

Dinner concluded without further incident. As Kasumi cleaned up, Ranma had grabbed Ryoga and headed towards the dojo. The fathers decided to take in a game of Go, Nabiki retired to her room, and Akane went to her own.

Ranma and Ryoga stood facing each other in the middle of the dojo. Ranma was much calmer than before, though he was still a bit agitated. Ryoga was confused and wanted answers, but was afraid to ask the questions.

Ranma decided to lay it out for the ever lost boy. "Listen up man, 'cause I'm only sayin' this to ya today. Things are different between Akane an' me now. What's different ain't your business."

Ryoga fumed. "Not my business? What the Hell have you done to her, animal?"

"Shut up! I wasn't finished yet. 'Sides, anything I've done to her is nothing compared to what she's going to do to you."

"What do you mean?"

Ranma made sure he was drawn to his full height. "Last night I told her I loved her. I didn't even know it till yesterday, but I do. And I ain't keepin' your dirty little secret anymore. She deserves to know."

Ryoga cracked his knuckles. "Well it's too bad you realize that you love her, because I will win her heart. But before I do that, I'm going to shut that fool mouth of yours for good!"

Ranma slid back into a defensive stance. "Oh yea? You think she'll love you? Go ahead, man. Go up to her room right now and tell her about 'P-chan' yourself! I'm sure that'd go over real well."

"Shut up and die!" And thus a fight began.

* * *

Akane could hear the sounds of a battle beginning in the dojo. "Damn it Ranma," she thought. "You just said you were going to talk to him, not pick a fight!"

flashback

At dinner, Ranma had just finished his food. He stood and walked to the hall, waiting for someone. Akane thought it might be a good time to approach him, so she finished her meal quickly. After thanking Kasumi she walked past Ranma, whispering "Talk, now." He followed her down the hall, just out of hearing range of everyone else.

"OK, Ranma," Akane whispered as she stopped at a corner. "Spill it. What the heck were you talking about before about Ryoga?"

Ranma placed his hand behind his head and tried to grin. "Well, see, it's kind of between the two of us but relates to you. Look, ask me again later tonight and I'll tell you everything. I promise."

Akane narrowed her eyes. "Why later?"

"I just need to talk to Ryoga first. Please, just give me a few minutes alone with him and then we'll talk."

"OK."

end flashback

"Darn it Ranma, how are we going to talk if you wear yourself out?" She headed to the door of her room to leave. "I'd better put a stop to this before we loose the dojo." As she left she couldn't help but overhear a muffled laugh from Nabiki's room. "I wonder what that's about?" Curiosity got the better of her and she broke off of her current course to knock on her sister's door.

After knocking there was a slight pause before Nabiki replied. "Yes?"

Akane cracked open the door and stuck her head in. "Hey, I was just wondering what was so funny."

Nabiki hadn't seen anything on the tape yet worthwhile, so she decided to share. "Just watching this tape Ranma.. borrowed."

The tape. The tape that had scared Ryoga. "Say, what are you doing with that anyway? You didn't go to the match."

"My dear sister, how often do Ranma's fights get such an audience? It's standard procedure for a school to record athletic events anyway, so I got a copy of the tape in case anyone else wanted copies. I think I sold about 15, but I never actually watched it myself."

"So what was so funny?"

"C'mon in and I'll show you." Nabiki watched as her sister entered the room and sat on the edge of her bed. "Hang on, I'll have to rewind it a little." She picked up the remote to her little T.V./VCR combo and pressed a button. "Now, it's not really all that funny, it's how I interpret it that is."

"OK," Akane replied. The suspense was killing her. What could possibly be on this tape that would cause such a stir? Would she get to see it?

"Here it is," Nabiki said as she pressed another button on the remote.

Akane recognized the part of the match they were watching immediately. Kodachi had just swung a bell at Ranma, who had blocked with P-chan. After Ranma fought off a brief attack from P-chan, she twirled her ribbon and picked up the announcer's table. Kodachi countered by twirling her ribbon around her brother and launching him to meet the table in midair. Akane glanced over as she heard her sister chuckle.

Nabiki looked at her sister. "What?"

"You tell me."

"OK, here," Nabiki said as she rewound the tapes a little. As she pressed 'play' she also put the video in slow-motion. "There's Kuno, flying through the air about to hit a table, and he's just looking at it. Kind of staring at it. It looks like he's just accepting his fate, as if saying, 'if the gods deem this to be, than this destiny I shall fulfill.'

Akane had to chuckle at that. As she saw Kuno hit the table head first in slo-mo she could defiantly hear those words coming out of his silent mouth. Then she had an idea. She reached out her hand towards the remote control held by Nabiki. "Gimmie."

Nabiki handed over the remote. "Here."

Akane rewound the tape a little and put it back in slo-mo. She waited to see Kodachi turn to Kuno before clearing her throat. "'Aye, my dear sister,'" she began in her best Kuno impression, "'fight well. What's this? You wish for me to become involved in this matter? Of course! You know of my feelings for my beloved pigtailed girl and wish for me to appeal to her sense of pity! I fly free, for there is no way that she will continue her attack with me as her targ ooof !" Akane stopped as in the video Kuno met table.

Nabiki laughed out loud. "Ha ha, that's pretty good sis!"

Suddenly a sound of destruction rang out from the direction of the dojo, distracting the Tendo sisters, the video playing in slow-motion now forgotten.

"Ranma and Ryoga," Akane stated out loud to no one in particular. She then turned to Nabiki. "I'd better go stop them while we still have a place to live."

Before Akane could reach the door, Nabiki interrupted. "Speaking of Ranma, what's going on between the two of you?"

Akane froze in her tracks. "What do you mean?"

"Please. I happen to be an excellent observer, unlike Father. I saw the two of you looking at each other this morning. 'I'm getting an A' my butt. Something happened recently between you two, and another something happened to you between breakfast and dinner. Or don't you think I didn't notice the silence between you at dinner?"

Akane tried to brush it off. "Nabiki, I really don't have time for..."

"I will find out," Nabiki stated matter-of-factly. "It's up to you. If I have to work to find out the answer, I'll sell it to pay for my troubles. If you tell me now, I'll keep it a secret. For a few weeks, at least."

Akane turned back and sat down again. "Promise?"

Nabiki nodded. "Promise."

Akane took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to tell the story. "Do you remember that time after Ranma's first fight with Mikado that you, and well, everyone else, interrupted the two of us in the dojo?"

"Hm? Oh, that's right. You were about to kiss."

"Well, he was about to kiss me because I dared him. Then we both got too embarrassed to try."

After a short pause, Nabiki prodded. "Continue."

"Well Ranma's dad videotaped the whole thing. Ranma forgot about it until he watched the tape. And then..." Akane couldn't quite continue.

Nabiki made her continue. "And then...?"

"And then... Well a dare is a challenge, and you know how Ranma is with challenges..."

Realization clicked in Nabiki's mind. "He kissed you?" Even Nabiki was wide-eyed at the possibility.

"I gave him permission before he did, so don't think he was taking advantage of me. Yes, we kissed."

Nabiki raised an eyebrow at that last sentence. "'We kissed'? As in...?"

"... Yes. I kissed back." Akane turned to face the TV, unable to look Nabiki in the eye.

Nabiki was so shocked that she didn't even try to think of a way to make money off of this. "When did this happen?"

"Last night."

When Nabiki started grinning ear-to-ear she didn't know, but she was now. "And how was it? C'mon, spill"

"It was good."

"Just 'good'?"

"OK, it was gr..." Akane trailed off, eyes still on the TV.

"Great?" When Akane didn't respond, Nabiki prodded. "What?"

Akane fumbled for the remote. "I thought I saw..." she began, eyes glued to the screen.

"Crud," Nabiki thought, "did Akane just find what I was looking for?" Nabiki also turned her attention to the television.

Akane rewound the tape until a point where there was a water kettle in midair. Shortly after starting the tape back up she pressed slo-mo. "It can't be," she said in a voice just above a whisper. "It's got to be some sort of lighting trick..." She watched frame-by-frame while the video Kodachi sliced the kettle in half, spilling it's contents over Ranma and by association, P-chan. In the cloud of steam, two figures were visible. Akane paused the tape the frame before the water from her firehose hit the two dark outlines.

Nabiki squinted her eyes. "Is that... another person?"

Akane's eyes were vacant. "Yes. I thought it might be Ranma in another light, but the poses are different..."

"Where did he come from?"

Realization slowly dawned on Akane. "P-chan has a Jusenkyou curse..."

Nabiki turned to her. "But who...?"

Then realization hit them both like a ton of bricks. It all came together for Akane: The teasing. The bandanna. The snide remarks. Ranma acting jealous. The bandanna. That Ryoga was there for almost every near-cure for Ranma's curse. All the times Ranma was about to tell her something about P-chan until she made him mad. All the times P-chan bit Ranma for no apparent reason. The bandanna. That stinking bandanna.

There was going to be Hell to pay, and not to Nabiki.

* * *

Outside in the Tendo yard there is a hole visible in the dojo wall and small craters scattered about the yard and fence. The reason for these damages is the two young men fighting in the once pristine yard. Somehow Ryoga had gotten behind Ranma and had him in some kind of choke hold-like headlock while fuming. Ranma for his part was just trying to breathe while trying to figure out an escape. The fact that Ryoga was trying to carry on some type of conversation didn't help.

"Take it back, Saotome! You're lying! there's no way Akane would let you do that to her!"

Somehow Ranma was able to gasp out, "Not only did she let me k-k-kiss her, but she kissed back..."

"Take it back or I'll squeeze harder!"

"Ca-can't take back... the truth...pig-boy..." Ranma was going through his options in his head. "OK, he's gettin' mad instead of depressed, so no drawing him into hitting himself with a shi-shi hokodan. There's a bucket of water just a few meters away, maybe I can stumble over there and get enough water on him to..."

"RYOGA YOU PIG!" came a cry from the house. The voice was unmistakably Akane's, and it was quite clear that she was beyond mad.

"Akane," Ryoga muttered as both he and Ranma lost concentration momentarily. They could hear very distinctive stomping from inside the house, and it was getting closer.

"Aw, crap," Ranma thought. "Did she figure it out alr..."

Akane threw the door to the outside open very forcefully. Laying her eyes on the fiancée-choking Ryoga, "YOU DECEITFUL, PEEPING, DISHONEST..."

In shock at the anger directed at him, Ryoga let go of Ranma. "There's only one thing that would make her this mad at me," he thought.

"...PERVERTED, PIG OF A MAN..." Akane was stomping towards them.

Ranma was lightheaded with the sudden rush of blood back to his head as he looked at Ryoga. What he saw was a frozen and beyond petrified martial artist.

"Help..." Ryoga meekly said aloud to no one in particular.

"...LYING, DIRTY..."

Ranma shook his head before darting for the bucket nearby. In only a few split-seconds, he grabbed the pail and splashed Ryoga. He picked him up and prepared to drop-kick the piglet. "You're gonna thank me for this; don't know why I'm doin' this for you."

Ryoga felt himself being punted and respond the only way he knew how. "BWKEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeee..."

"...COWARD! Hey! Get back here!"

"Kkwweeeeeeee..." was her only response, as the tiny pig vanished from sight.

* * *

Nabiki saw the small flying figure from her bedroom window. "Well what do you know? Pigs CAN fly."

* * *

Akane looked back down to stare daggers at her fiancée. "RANMA..."

"Hey," Ranma replied getting into a defensive stance. "I was just..." Just then he felt lightheaded again and collapsed to one knee. "Whoa," he groggily mumbled.

Akane's anger turned to concern. "Ranma? What happened?"

Ranma felt stronger again. "Well, I was tellin' him that I was gonna tell you tonight about..."

Akane furrowed her brow. "Him being P-chan?"

"Yea. He didn't take it well, and during the fight I let it slip that we'd kissed."

"WHAT?"

"I thought it'd distract him, y'know like usual, only this time it just made him tougher. Somehow he got me in that headlock (which I was about to get out of) and it kind of cut off the blood to my head."

Akane moved behind Ranma and started feeling around his neck. "He got you pretty good."

Goosebumps were raised on Ranma as he felt contact with Akane. "Yea. Look, I just want to... urk!"

Akane had repeated Ryoga's movements and had him in the same hold. She wasn't using nearly enough force to do any harm... yet. "Listen up," she started. "Right now, I'm really, really mad. I have a lot of anger I want to let out, and you got rid of the person I WANT to let it out on, so I'm giving you five minutes to do one of two things. Either calm me down completely while telling me the truth, or calm me down enough while telling the truth that I don't hut you much.

Ranma sweatdropped. "Well, it all started when I was chasin' Pop through Jusenkyo..."

* * *

Just a few blocks away at the Nekohatten, the staff had set up for some outside vending. Shampoo was in charge of a portable ramen cooker, while Cologne sat at a table.

"Great-grandma right, outside is good for business," Shampoo said offhandedly.

"Yes," Cologne began, "This is the first break in customers we've had in hours. It is nice to get out of the shop every now and then. Hello..." Cologne held her hand up to her forehead to help see. What she saw was a tiny black dot approaching fast. In seconds, the little black dot splashed right into Shampoo's ramen pot. Shampoo was able to avoid the splash, well, the first splash. A second splash resulted from a full grown figure emerging from the pot.

"Yeeeeahhhhhooowwww! Hot! Hot! Hot!" Ryoga flailed his arms and legs to cool off while also trying to cover his privates.

"Aiyah! Is airen's pig friend!" Shampoo covered her eyes.

In one deft move Cologne threw Ryoga inside the (miracusly) empty resteraunt. "Mousse! Get some clothes on that boy! And get him some burn salve!"

There were sounds of hurried movement from inside. Moments later, Ryoga emerged in plain pants and a T-shirt, looking red in the face, and not all of it from the burn.

"So, care to tell us why you just ruined Shampoo's ramen?"

"No."

"That wasn't a choice."

Ryoga mumbled something that Cologne couldn't make out.

"What was that?"

"Akane found out about me being her pet pig." Shame was evident in his voice.

"Oh dear. Goodness, I was wondering if she knew or not. Shampoo," she turned to her great-granddaughter. "It might be a good idea to not go anywhere near Akane Tendo, even to get to Ranma, for a while."

Shampoo took one look at the burned martial artist. "No need tell Shampoo twice."

END Chapter 4.

* * *

Authors Notes: Well! I apologize most profoundly for the almost 5 year (to the day) delay between chapters. As I've said before, this story was supposed to be a one-shot, then I decided that it worked better as a two parter. Then all of those wonderful, wonderful reviews came in and I decided "Hey, why not just make my own alternate universe stemming from this one story?" Well, during the beginning of work on chapter 4, I suffered severe writer's block. I knew what I wanted to happen, but didn't know how to go about doing it. While that discouraged me, I also decided that I didn't want to have to introduce later manga characters while having to deal with the dynamics of my new universe, and I didn't want to just say "insert Konatsu's manga introduction" and call it a day. Then all kinds of things happened, including me loosing what I'd written on disk. Anyway, here I am again! I am leaving my continuing story to my "Overtime" series, but I do have one more story arc I want to tell in this universe, so please bear with me. Also, I apologize if these later chapters don't "feel" the same as 1-3, but I can't seem to get back in the same frame of mind as when I wrote those.

BTW: Notice the anime element of this chapter? In the manga, Kuno defends himself against the announce table, while the anime version of those events had me (literally) rolling on the floor in laughter. Eh, I was 16.

PS: I tried to upload this chapter on April 30th AND May 1st, so sorry for the 2 day delay from the deadline I gave in "Overtime"'s notes.


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